Death
by Be My Master
Summary: I uploaded this, then took it down so i could fix it, but here it is again, with more than one chapter, since i had two chapters in it already. Will gets hurt and everyone is sad. has a happy ending though!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Horace shielded Will as he knocked an arrow in his bow, ready to hit one of the Temujai. Horace moved too early and an arrow hit Will square in the chest. He staggered backward. He removed the arrow and shot his own. Arrow after arrow he fired, twice more getting hit by enemy arrows. He dropped to his knees. Horace saw that and kneeled down next to his friend.

'Are you alright?' Horace said concern evident in his voice.

Will didn't answer. He was on all fours, looking at the ground. He coughed and Horace saw, with horror, that Will was coughing up blood. Horace crouched down to get a look at his friends face. Will's face was contorted with pain. Horace panicked.

"Will!" Horace said, lifting his friend up by the shoulders. "Lay on your back."

He did that, in much pain. Horace ran his hands over Will's chest and stomach, trying to find the wound and stop the blood flow. Evenlyn saw the motion and came to stand over Horace.

'What are you doing?' she asked.

'Will's hurt, and I'm trying to find where,' Horace replied.

'Will's hurt?'

Horace and Evenlyn turned to see a Temujai warrior, who had a broad sword and a Saxe knife. Horace got up to defend his wounded friend, unsheathing his sword.

'Now, now. I don't want to have to hurt you,' said the burly warrior.

'Sod off,' replied Horace.

'You hurt my feelings!' said the warrior as he swung his sword at Horace.

Will got up and knocked an arrow in the bow. He pointed it at the Temujai warrior's chest.

Halt had been watching when he saw Will get up from his place on the ground and point an arrow at the large foreigner's chest. Halt ran towards them, salt sweat running down his brow, but all too late. The man had thrown Horace aside and advanced on Will. Halt watched in horror as he saw his apprentice being cut open through the stomach. Ripping through flesh and muscle, Will fell to the ground, blood spilling from his body. With a gash through his abdomen, he was on deaths door steps. Halt stopped wide eyed, looking at what he felt had become his son over the years. Tears filled his eyes, spilling unstoppably down his face. Erak ran up to him, wondering why he had stopped.

'Halt, what's the matter?' he asked.

Halt, unable to speak for the hard lump in his throat, wiped the tears from his face, and pointed out that there was a Temujai warrior standing feet away from killing Princess Cassandra. They ran to stop him and it was Halt who- filled with anger for the loss of his student and, more importantly, his friend- killed the warrior.

Halt walked over to where Will lay dying. Blood stained the trampled snow, seeping out of Will's body all too fast. Halt fell to his knees beside his friend's body, Horace and Erak joining him. Will opened his eyes slightly, tried to sit up but Halt stopped him.

'Stay,' he said softly.

Will was in pretty bad shape and there was no way that he could survive. He closed his eyes. His breathing became slow and shallow, as if he were sleeping. He looked peaceful enough. Halt placed a hand on his head. Horace let out a sob that came from deep down in his soul.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Horace picked up his lost friends body, sobbing. With blurry eyes, he followed Halt and Evanlyn. He shifted his hands up Will's back, so Horace was carrying him bridal style. Under his fingers, he felt a faint fluttering feeling, a faint drum beat. He put it out of his mind as his blood in his veins, and looked, depressed, down at his friend. He had known him for so many years, but only recently had he seen that Will was a wonderfully great person. He bent and kissed Will's forehead, a tear rolling down his nose and landing on Will's cheek.

Halt turned back to look at Horace, the hard lump still lodged painfully in his throat. He felt the threat of tears at the back of his eyes, and turned around again. The sight of that Temujai striking at his apprentice filled him with such anger that he would like to go back in time and kill him over and over again. But he couldn't he could only mourn. He had come so far for his friend, given his status as a Ranger away, and all his hopes of being reunited with his apprentice for the next five years were taken away from him. And he couldn't go back without him. No, he'd never be the same. He would carry his sorrow forever.

He would not give Will up so easily.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Losses are common in war, and this war is included. Ragnak, many of the other Skandians who fought bravely, many Temujai and, the one who will be missed the most by all of the Araluens, Will.

As Halt, Horace and Evenlyn sat in their rooms, the Skandians mourned their lost Oberjarl, and elected a new one. Later, Erak came into the room that the Araluens had taken to sitting in.

'I just got elected Oberjarl,' Erak said.

'Congrats,' said Halt.

'Where's young Will?'

There was silence. None of them wanted to remember the sorrow that plagued them, but of course they would always remember him. Evalyn burst into tears again and Horace placed his arms around her. Everyone looked up at Erak to see that he had a smile plastered across his face.

'Yeah, where is he?'

Everyone looked around at the sound of a familiar voice.

Will stood at the door, a slight smile touching his lips. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he was all too skinny. Halt was the first to stand up and walk toward Will. He looked at the brown haired teen in front of him and pulled him into a huge hug. Tears streamed down his face.

'How are you here?' he asked.

'I walked through the door,' said Will with a smile.

'I know that! But how are you alive?'

'When you brought me here, I was still alive, but far off in the land unicorns and fairies. The doctors looked at me and healed me. '

'I did think that I felt a heartbeat, but I thought that it was just my mind playing tricks on me,' said Horace.

Evenlyn ran at Will and swung her arms around his neck. She sobbed and babbled on, not making any sense at all to Will. He patted her back. Everyone, Erak included, hugged Will. Suddenly, the war didn't seem so devastating. Sure, they had lost a lot of great men, and it would take a while for Scandia to recover, but they were all happy for the moment that they had their favourite Ranger's apprentice with them again. They went to the dining hall and dined, they talked and laughed and hugged. They had a wonderful time as they ate, drank, and basked in the glory. They were all just glad they were all there.

As a family.


End file.
